Showing posts with label Jordy Stallard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jordy Stallard. Show all posts

Thursday, February 9, 2017

WHL in court: More facts and figures from big business of junior hockey


F J.T. Barnett (Vancouver, Kamloops, Everett, Kelowna, 2008-13) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Timrå (Sweden, Allsvenskan). This season, he was pointless in one game with CSKA Moscow (Russia, KHL), had seven goals and three assists in 24 games with Zvezda Chekhov (Russia, Vysshaya Liga, CSKA farm team), and was pointless in three games with Amur Khabarovsk (Russia, KHL). . . . He was traded by CSKA to Amur on Dec. 13, then released by Amur on Jan 30.
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 I was wrong — oh, was I! — when I wrote earlier in the week that the biggest story involving the WHL over the next while would involve the future of the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook and the City of Nanaimo’s desire to build a new arena.
No . . . no . . . no!
The biggest story — and it’s huge — continues to unfold in a Calgary courtroom.
If you’re late to this, about 400 present and former major junior hockey players are seeking certification for a class-action lawsuit that, if successful, would result in WHL and OHL teams, which operate under
the CHL umbrella, having to pay minimum wage and assorted other benefits such as vacation pay.
This week, lawyers have been arguing both sides in a Calgary courtroom. Early on, Justice Robert Hall ordered the unsealing of financial statements and tax returns once certain personal information has been redacted, a process that now is underway.
In the meantime, some information is starting to trickle out.
On Thursday, we got our first glance at a tax-related document when Justice Hall gave permission for the media to look at and report on the Portland Winterhawks’ tax return for the period June 1, 2015 to May 31, 2016.
For that period, the Winterhawks declared gross revenues of US$5,657,050 and a net loss of $191,955, numbers that didn’t sit well with Ted Charney, a lawyer representing the players in this case.


According to the Form 1120 filed by the Winterhawks, they paid $382,568 in “compensation of officers” and $1,737,330 in salaries and wages. All told, $771,409 was paid in rent and $1,671,881 went to “other deductions,” for which there isn’t an explanation provided.
Total deductions added up to $5,607,710, leaving that net loss of $191,995.
According to the WHL’s attendance report for 2015,16, the Winterhawks drew 252,124 fans to 36 home games, an average of 7,004 per game. Only the Calgary Hitmen, at 8,217, had a higher average attendance.
Late last year, Justice Hall ordered teams to produce financials and tax returns for five years, starting with 2011.
In 2014,15, Portland’s average attendance was 6,980, while it was 7,329 in 2013-14, 6,687 for 2012-13, and 6,075 for 2011-12.
We haven’t yet seen earlier tax returns, but according to a report for the plaintiffs by forensic accountant Ronald Smith, the Winterhawks, under “compensation of officers,” paid out $263,025 in 2012, $292,375 in 2013, $354,781 in 2014 and $393,468 in 2015.
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Included in the same Ronald Smith-prepared chart that contained Portland’s “compensation of officers” were annual “management fees” paid by the Red Deer Rebels.
According to this chart, the Rebels, starting in 2012 and running through 2016, paid “management fees” of $652,600, $400,000, $700,000, $725,000 and $1,490,000, respectively.
Smith wrote: “Based on the large increase in the fiscal 2016 management fees, it appears that a significant portion of those management fees may be a distribution of profit.”
Red Deer management — the franchise is owned by Brent Sutter, who also is the team’s general manager and head coach — hasn’t commented.

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Rick Westhead, a senior correspondent for TSN, was tweeting again (@rwesthead) Thursday. Here are a few:
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After perusing all of these numbers and more, Ken Campbell of The Hockey News wrote:
“We’re beginning to see why the Canadian Hockey League was so desperate to keep the details of its financial situation away from the prying eyes of the media and public. But if you’re going to pay the vast majority of your employees poverty wages, you’re also going to have to justify it by opening your books for all to see.
“And what we’re seeing so far doesn’t look great for the CHL.”
As all of this continues to unfold in that Calgary courtroom — it had been hoped things would wrap up today (Friday), but they now are expected to run through Wednesday and perhaps longer — people are learning that major junior hockey is big business.
“In the coming days,” Campbell wrote, “we’re about to find out that there is some big money out there in junior hockey and not much of it is going to the players. We’re going to learn that teams are paying their non-playing employees hundreds of thousands of dollars, even more than a million dollars, while many of the players earn $50 a week. For most teams, the amount they pay in salaries and benefits to non-players dwarfs the entire expense budget (which includes equipment, travel and scholarships), and in many cases is double the entire amount they spend on players.”
There was some interesting news involving the Kelowna Rockets, too, as Campbell pointed out that Smith’s report indicates the Rockets “have a wholly-owned subsidiary that provides the team with bussing services, which means transportation costs are being paid to a company that the Rockets already own.”
Smith wrote: “We do not know if the subsidiary is profitable or not.”
In the coming days, we are going to learn that nothing is cut and dried about any of this business. The more we hear and read, the more we realize that major junior hockey is a large, multi-faceted business with a whole lot of layers. What you are seeing when you walk into an arena and the puck is dropped is only the tip of the iceberg.
Campbell’s complete piece is right here.
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JUST NOTES:

The Prince Albert Raiders have lost F Jordy Stallard, 19, for the rest of this season after he underwent shoulder surgery on Monday. The Brandon native is at home recovering. . . . Jeff D’Andrea of paNOW reports that the Raiders have more injury issues, too. “Rookie Carson Miller missed Wednesday’s 3-2 defeat to the Medicine Hat Tigers,” D’Andrea wrote, “and will be evaluated for a shoulder injury on Friday. Drew Warkentine was withdrawn from Wednesday’s game due to a lower body injury.” . . .
Meanwhile, the Saskatoon Blades have one forward ready to return from injury, with another close to getting back in the lineup. F Mason McCarty has missed 27 games with a knee injury but should play tonight against the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors. McCarty had 14 goals and nine assists in 26 games when he was injured on Nov. 25. . . . Meanwhile, F Markson Bechtold, who was injured in his third game after being acquired from the Spokane Chiefs, is close to returning but isn’t expected to play tonight. . . . However, Ryan Flaherty of Global-TV in Saskatoon tweeted Thursday that F Caleb Fantillo was “hurt at practice today. Blades back down to 19 skaters.” . . . 
F Michael Rasmussen, a 32-goal scorer and a projected first-round selection in the NHL’s 2017 draft, has an undisclosed injury and isn’t expected to play tonight against the host Seattle Thunderbirds and may also miss Saturday’s game in Spokane against the Chiefs. . . .
The Vancouver Giants, coming off a 3-2 shootout victory over the Cougars in Prince George on Wednesday, are scheduled to meet the Rockets in Kelowna tonight. The Rockets have beaten the Giants in each of their last 21 meetings in Kelowna, going back to March 19, 2011. . . . The Rockets likely will be a little ornery, having lost 6-0 to the host Kamloops Blazers on Wednesday.
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THURSDAY GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Everett at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Regina at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Vancouver at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Prince Albert at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Spokane at Portland, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Tri-City vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m.
Kamloops at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:43 PM
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Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Raiders forward's season over ... TV station apologizes ... Gabrielle, Gropp fill hats

F Josh Nicholls (Saskatoon, 2008-13) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL). This season, with the Colorado Eagles (ECHL), he had 11 goals and 21 assists in 30 games. . . .
F Denis Rehák (Prince George, 2003-04) has transferred from Žilina to Nové Zámky (both Slovakia, Extraliga). Details of the move weren’t disclosed. He had a goal and six assists in 46 games with Žilina. . . .
F Štěpán Novotný (Kelowna, Swift Current, 2008-11) was transferred from Žilina to Nové Zámky (both Slovakia, Extraliga). Details weren’t disclosed. He had six goals and eight assists in 20 games with Žilina.
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F Jordy Stallard of the Prince Albert Raiders underwent shoulder surgery on Monday and won’t play
JORDY STALLARD
again this season. He is expected to be ready for the opening of training camp in August.
Stallard, a 19-year-old from Brandon, was injured in a game against the host Calgary Hitmen on Jan. 22.
The Raiders acquired Stallard from the Hitmen on Jan. 10. He had 10 points, including six goals, in eight games with Prince Albert. He had put up four goals and three assists in his last four games.
He finished this season with 37 points, 14 of them goals, in 40 games.
Stallard was a fifth-round selection by the Winnipeg Jets in the NHL’s 2016 draft.
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DEPT. OF DISCIPLINE: The WHL handed out four games in suspensions and $1,250 in fines following weekend games. . . . F Cameron Hausinger of the Red Deer Rebels received a two-game suspension for a hit on Blades D Jake Kustra in Saskatoon on Saturday night. Hausinger had been given a headshot major and game misconduct, but the penalty later was changed to a charging major. Kustra, who was taken from the ice on a stretcher and was taken to hospital, was left with a facial laceration and a brain injury. He is out indefinitely. . . . Red Deer D Colton Bobyk, who levelled Blades F Braylon Shmyr later in that same game, wasn’t disciplined. Shmyr also has a brain injury and will be out indefinitely. . . . F Jeff de Wit of the Regina Pats was given two games after taking a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct for a hit on Blades D Mark Rubinchik in Saskatoon on Friday night. Rubinchik wasn’t injured on the play. . . . Meanwhile, the Lethbridge Hurricanes were fined $750 and the Moose Jaw Warriors $500 for the line brawl that occurred during their game in Lethbridge on Saturday. It was the Hurricanes’ second such incident this season, thus the difference in fine amounts.
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If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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Portland’s CW, a local television station, has apologized via its Facebook page to viewers after it pulled the plug prematurely on the telecast of a game between the Seattle Thunderbirds and host Winterhawks on Saturday night. With about three minutes left in a five-minute OT period, the clock struck 10 p.m., and the station switched to a newscast. The Winterhawks went on to win the game, 4-3 in a shootout.
“We sincerely apologize for the disruption in coverage of Saturday’s game,” read the apology issued by the station, “and are taking action now to ensure this doesn’t happen again. Thank you for your viewership!”
Nothing has been heard from the WHL, the Winterhawks or the Thunderbirds.
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Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports in his weekly 30 Thoughts that “word at the CHL Top Prospects’ Game last week was that Regina’s Memorial Cup bid did not to unnoticed. The Saskatchewan capital is in the conversation.” . . . The lead to this week’s piece involves a junior B team in B.C. that is 0-40-3. It’s good stuff, as usual, and it’s all right here.
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Marko Kardum, a farmer in Central Saanich, B.C., was out clearing a little snow on Monday night when the police showed up. The fact that Kardum was driving a Zamboni may have something to with it. . . . Katie Derosa of the Victoria Times Colonist tracked him down and has his story right here.
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If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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INJURY NOTES:

The WHL’s weekly roster report shows some of the league’s top players on the shelf, listed as being out either week-to-week or indefinitey, all with undisclosed injuries.
Noah Juulsen of the Everett Silvertips, one of the WHL’s top defencemen, is week-to-week, so likely won’t play on the East Division swing that opens Friday in Brandon. He last played on Jan. 20.
F Tomas Soustal of the Kelowna Rockets hasn’t played since Jan. 28 and also is shown as being out week-to-week.
F Noah Gregor of the Moose Jaw Warriors has been sidelined since Jan. 7 and is out week-to-week. He had 52 points, including 20 goals, in 42 games when he was injured.
D Brendan Guhle wasn’t in the Prince George Cougars lineup last night against the visiting Vancouver Giants. He won’t play tonight (Wednesday) either. He last played on Jan. 29.
F Scott Eansor of the Seattle Thunderbirds was day-to-day in last week’s roster report, but that was changed to week-to-week for the report issued Tuesday. He hasn’t played since Jan. 14.
F Braylon Shmyr of the Saskatoon Blades also is shown as being out week-to-week after suffering a brain injury in a game on Saturday night.
F Jake Leschyshyn of the Regina Pats is out indefinitely after apparently being injured on Friday in Saskatoon.
D Alexander Alexeyev of the Red Deer Rebels hasn’t played since Jan. 28 and won’t play again this season after undergoing surgery to repair an undisclosed lower-body injury last week.
The Vancouver Giants are listing F Tyler Benson (groin) as being out indefinitely. Benson last played on Jan. 2 and originally was said to have a minor injury.
Meanwhile, the Tri-City Americans revealed that D Seth Bafaro, a 16-year-old from Revelstoke, B.C., has been shut down for the season. He has a shoulder injury that requires surgery. Bafaro, with one assist in 28 games as a freshman, played on Jan. 28 and 29 after being out since Jan. 13.
Bafaro is the second defenceman the Americans have shut down this season. Tyler Jette, 18, suffered an "upper-body" injury and had his season end before he had played a game. The Americans announced on Jan. 24 that he was done, at least for now.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers were able to leave Cranbrook and head for home on Tuesday after behind snow-stayed since early Sunday morning. They were on their way home from Kennewick, Wash., after beating the Tri-City Americans, 6-5, on Saturday night when their progress was halted by highways closed due to a heavy snowfall.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:



At Prince George, F Jesse Gabrielle had a goal and two assists to lead the Cougars to a 4-1 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . F Radovan Bondra, who was acquired from the Giants earlier in the season,
JESSE GABRIELLE
gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead at 9:36 of the first period. He’s got 26 goals, seven of them in 14 games with Prince George. . . . F Jack Flaman (13) pulled the Giants even at 8:10 of the second period. . . . F Jared Bethune snapped the tie with his 15th goal, at 13:47. . . . F Nikita Popugaev added insurance at 5:34 of the third period, with his 15th goal. . . . Gabrielle, who assisted on those last two goals, got No. 26 at 12:29. . . . Gabrielle now has 47 points in 45 games. . . . D Sam Ruopp had two assists for the Cougars, while Bethune added one to his goal. . . . The Cougars got 25 saves from G Nick McBride. . . . Vancouver G Ryan Kubic stopped 29 shots. . . . The Giants were 0-2 on the PP; the Cougars were 0-3. . . . F Jansen Harkins and D Brendan Guhle were among the Cougars’ scratches. . . . The Cougars (37-16-3) had lost their previous two games. The are second in the overall standings, four points behind the Regina Pats. However, the Pats hold six games in hand. The Cougars also lead the B.C. Division by eight points over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The Giants (17-32-5) have lost eight in a row (0-6-2). . . . These same teams will clash again tonight in Prince George. . . . Announced attendance: 2,511.
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At Victoria, F Ryan Gropp scored three times as the Seattle Thunderbirds skated past the Royals, 3-1. . . . Gropp’s third goal was his 18th this season and the 100th in 238 career games. It was Gropp’s first hat
RYAN GROPP
trick this season and the fifth of his career. He had two last season when he scored a career-high 34 goals. . . . Gropp, a 20-year-old from Kamloops, gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 9:00 of the first period. . . . F Dante Hannoun’s 19th goal, on a PP at 18:36, tied it, 1-1. . . . Gropp struck for his second goal at 19:42 of the first and he completed the hat trick with an empty-netter at 18:59 of the third. . . . F Mathew Barzal drew assists on Gropp’s first two goals. . . . Victoria was 1-4 on the PP; Seattle was 0-3. . . . G Matt Berlin earned the victory with 17 saves. He is 5-0-2 in nine appearances with Seattle this season. . . . Victoria got 29 saves from G Griffen Outhouse. . . . The Thunderbirds had D Jake Lee make his WHL debut. From Sherwood Park, Alta., Lee was a first-round selection by Seattle in the 2016 bantam draft. He plays for the midget AAA Sherwood Park Kings. . . . However, Seattle F Elijah Brown, a first-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft, left in the sec ond period with an apparent injury to his right leg. . . . Victoria F Jack Walker played in his 300th career regular-season game. He has played all 300 regular-season games with the Royals. He has 231 points, including 94 goals. Over the last two seasons, Walker has put up 139 points, including 60 goals, in 123 games. . . . The Thunderbirds (32-15-5) have points in nine straight games (8-0-1). They are second in the U.S. Division, three points behind the Everett Silvertips. Each team has played 52 games. Everett is scheduled to open a six-game East Division swing in Brandon on Friday. . . . The Royals (30-20-4) had a four-game winning streak end. They are tied with the Kelowna Rockets for third in the B.C. Division, five points behind Kamloops. . . . The teams will play again tonight in Victoria. . . . Announced attendance: 3,085.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Moose Jaw at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Regina at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Kelowna at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Prince Albert at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
Vancouver at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Lethbridge at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Portland at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Seattle at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:46 PM
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Sunday, January 22, 2017

Booster Club does its part for Literacy Week ... Blazers, Hurricanes come through late ... Rebels' line explodes


Let’s start with a great story involving the Portland Winterhawks Booster Club. . . .
You may be aware that 43 members of the booster club made their way to Prince George for a mid-week doubleheader, then rode the bus to Kamloops for Friday night’s game and wrapped it up in Kelowna on Saturday night.
It seems they made a stop before arriving at Friday’s game in Kamloops.
It was Family Literacy Week in Kamloops and the organizing committee had partnered with Kamloops Honda on a book drive that they called Heap the Honda. New and gently used children’s books were being collected to be given to children on Jan. 25, which is ABC Family Literacy Day.
The book drive was ongoing at Friday’s game between the Blazers and Winterhawks.
As I understand it, the booster club got wind of this promotion before arriving at Friday’s game and club members were able to make their way to a book store, where they purchased children’s books that helped Heap the Honda when they arrived at the Sandman Centre.
The Blazers won the game, beating the Winterhawks, 4-3 in a shootout, but the children of Kamloops were the real winners, thanks to people like those in the Portland Winterhawks Booster Club.
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Five people with ties to the WHL are among the Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame’s class of 2017.
Bob Bourne, the late Eddie Litzenberger, the late Stan Dunn, Graham Tuer and Ken Wheler will be honoured at the annual induction dinner in Battlefords on July 22.
Bourne played for the Saskatoon Blades (1971-74) before going on to an NHL career that included four Stanley Cup titles with the New York Islanders.
Litzenberger played three seasons (1949-52) with the Regina Pats, appearing in the 1950 Memorial Cup. During his pro career, he won four Stanley Cups and two Calder Cups.
Dunn was the head coach of the Weyburn Red Wings during their only season in the WHL. He later spent four seasons as the general manager and head coach of the Swift Current Broncos.
Tuer is a favourite among the hockey scouting fraternity and has been around WHL arenas for a year or two. A former assistant GM with the Regina Pats, he most recently has scouted for the Kelowna Rockets and the Pats.
Wheler was a long-time WHL referee.
Bourne, Litzenberger and Fiona Smith-Bell will be inducted as players, with Dunn and Tuer going in as builders.
The Northwest Hockey Development Association is to be inducted in the grassroots division, while two teams — the 1983-84 Wilkie Outlaws and 2000-01 Lloydminster Border Kings — also will be inducted.
The Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame is located in the iPlex, the home of the Swift Current Broncos.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:

At Brandon, F Stelio Mattheos had a goal and three assists to lead the Wheat Kings to a 5-2 victory over
STELIO MATTHEOS
the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Wheat Kings scored four goals, three of them on the PP, in the game’s first half and took that 4-0 lead into the third period. . . . F Nolan Patrick opened the scoring at 10:03 of the first period and F Connor Gutenberg (10) made it 2-0 at 15:33, on a PP. . . . Mattheos’s 17th goal upped the lead to 3-0, on a PP, at 2:25 of the second and F Reid Duke’s 26th goal, on another PP, made it 4-0 at 9:57. . . . The Tigers got a pair of third-period goals, both on the PP, from F Max Gerlach (25), at 7:43, and F Mason Shaw (15), at 11:01. . . . Patrick iced it with an empty-netter at 19:33. He’s got eight goals. . . . Mattheos, who is seen as a potential first-round pick in the NHL’s 2017 draft, has 38 points in 45 games. . . . F Ty Lewis had two assists for Brandon. . . . G Logan Thompson stopped 41 shots for Brandon, nine more than Medicine Hat’s Nick Schneider. . . . Brandon was 3-3 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 2-7. . . . The Wheat Kings lost D Dmitry Osipov to a charging major and game misconduct at 9:00 of the third period. . . . The Wheat Kings (23-17-5) have points in four straight (3-0-1). They hold down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot and are seven points behind the third-place Swift Current Broncos in the East Division. . . . The Tigers (31-15-1) lead the Central Division by four points over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Announced attendance: 4,155.
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At Edmonton, the Prince Albert Raiders scored the game’s first four goals and went on to beat the Oil
JORDY STALLARD
Kings, 5-2. . . . F Curtis Miske (9) got it started at 7:30 of the first period. . . . The Raiders took control with three goals in 1:30 in the second period. F Jordy Stallard (13) made it 2-0 at 8:51, with F Cavin Leth (12) scoring at 9:06 and F Cole Fonstad (8) at 10:21. . . . The Oil Kings got on the scoreboard when F Davis Koch got No. 12, at 1:02 of the third period. . . . Prince Albert got that one back as F Sean Montgomery got his 10th at 3:47. . . . F Ty Gerla got his fifth goal for Edmonton at 18:25. . . . Miske and Stallard each had an assist for the Raiders. . . . G Nic Sanders blocked 29 shots for the winners. . . . Edmonton starter Patrick Dea was beaten four times on 20 shots in 30:21, with Josh Dechaine coming on in relief to stop four of five shots in 29:39. . . . Edmonton was 0-4 on the PP; Prince Albert was 0-6. . . . Prince Albert (10-34-5) has won two in a row for the first time this season. . . . Edmonton (18-24-4) has lost seven straight and is four points out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 10,647.
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At Kamloops, the Blazers tied the game with 52.3 seconds left in the third period and then scored 59 seconds into OT to beat the Prince George Cougars, 5-4. . . . Prince George led 4-2 after the second
COLLIN SHIRLEY
period. The Cougars went into the game with a 24-0-1 record when leading after two. . . . F Nic Holowko’s fourth goal got Kamloops to within one at 5:22 of the third period. . . . F Deven Sideroff tied it with his 27th goal and F Collin Shirley won it with his second goal of the game, and 20th of the season. . . . The visitors took a 2-0 lead before the game was five minutes old, with F Jesse Gabrielle (22) scoring, on a PP, at 3:29, and F Jansen Harkins (15) counting at 4:36. . . . F Lane Bauer cut the deficit in half with his 26th goal, his first with Kamloops since coming over from the Edmonton Oil Kings, on a PP, at 6:23. . . . Cougars D Brendan Guhle got that one back at 7:26, only to have Shirley score on a PP at 13:18. . . . Guhle’s second of the game, and 11th of the season, gave the Cougars a 4-2 lead at 13:18. . . . After the six-goal opening period, the teams played a scoreless second. . . . Sideroff, Bauer and F Rudolfs Balcers each had two assists. . . . The Cougars got two assists from each of Gabrielle and Nikita Popugaev, with Harkins adding one. . . . Harkins now has 151 career assists, one shy of the Prince George record held by Troy Bourke. . . . The Blazers got 27 saves from G Connor Ingram, while Ty Edmonds turned aside 35 for the Cougars. . . . Kamloops was 2-4 on the PP; Prince George was 1-3. . . . The Blazers (29-16-3) have won four in a row. They are second in the B.C. Division, eight points behind the Cougars and three in front of the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Kamloops will play its next seven games on the road, six in the U.S. Division and one in Kelowna. . . . The Cougars (33-13-3) remain atop the overall standings, a point ahead of the Everett Silvertips. The Cougars have lost two in a row (0-1-1). . . . Announced attendance: 3,734.
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At Kelowna, F Kole Lind, who hadn’t scored in 10 games, had two goals and two assists to lead the
KOLE LIND
Rockets to a 4-1 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Lind, who has 22 goals, picked up a pair of PP markers, breaking a 1-1 tie at 11:07 of the second period and adding insurance at 3:00 of the third. . . . F Tomas Soustal (15) gave the home side a 1-0 lead at 4:53 of the opening period. . . . Portland tied it at 14:00 when F Joachim Blichfeld got No. 14 on a PP. . . . D Braydyn Chizen iced it with his third goal at 15:45 of the third period. Lind’s assist on that goal gave him 100 career points. . . . Soustal also had an assist. . . . The Rockets got 34 saves from G Michael Herringer, while Cole Kehler stopped 33 at the other end. . . . Kelowna was 2-6 on the PP; Portland was 1-5. . . . Kelowna was again without F Reid Gardiner (undisclosed injury), F Dillon Dube (ill) and F Nolan Foote, who has missed eight straight games. . . . The Rockets (27-17-4) had lost their previous three games (0-2-1). Kelowna is third in the B.C. Division, three points behind the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The Winterhawks (22-21-3), who were playing their fourth road game in five nights, have lost five in a row (0-3-2). They hold down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Announced attendance: 5,361.
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At Lethbridge, the Hurricanes scored late in the third period and again in OT, both goals coming via the
ZAK ZBOROSKY
PP, as they beat the Calgary Hitmen, 3-2. . . . F Tyler Wong’s 34th goal tied the game at 19:42 of the third period and F Zak Zborosky’s 31st goal won it at 3:21 of OT. . . . G Giorgio Estephan drew an assist on both goals. . . . F Alec Baer gave the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead with his ninth goal — his sixth since arriving from the Vancouver Giants at the trade deadline — at 14:25 of the first period. . . . Calgary F Matteo Gennaro put his guys ahead with two quick goals in the second period. He scored on a PP at 1:58 and added No. 28 at 6:45. . . . Gennaro has goals in five straight games, having scored 10 times during that stretch. . . . G Stuart Skinner turned aside 31 shots to earn the victory. . . . Calgary G Trevor Martin stopped 21 shots. . . . Lethbridge was 2-7 on the PP; Calgary was 1-5. . . . F Matt Alfaro, acquired from the Kootenay Ice at the trade deadline, made his Hurricanes debut with one assist. Lethbridge was without F Egor Babenko and F Ryan Bowen. . . . The Hurricanes (26-15-7) have points in eight straight (6-0-2). They are second in the Central Division, four points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Hitmen (17-21-7) have lost two in a row (0-1-1). They are three points out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 4,231.
——

At Red Deer, F Lane Zablocki scored three times and added an assist and F Brandon Hagel had two
LANE ZABLOCKI
goals and four assists to lead the Rebels to a 6-2 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . Zablocki has six goals and two assists in seven games since coming over from the Regina Pats. . . . He opened the scoring at 3:56 of the first period. . . . Victoria D Scott Walford (2) tied it at 5:00. . . . Hagel’s PP goal, at 13:28, gave the Rebels a 2-1 lead. . . . Zablocki made it 3-1 at 12:48 of the second period. . . . The Royals got back to within one when F Tyler Soy scored his 20th goal, shorthanded, at 5:55. . . . Soy has scored at least 20 goals for three straight seasons. He had 28 in 2014-15 and 46 last season. . . . The Rebels put it away with the game’s last three goals. . . . F Adam Musil got his 17th at 10:20 of the third period. . . . Zablocki completed the hat trick at 11:10. . . . Hagel scored his second of the game, and 20th of the season, on a PP, at 15:38. . . . F Michael Spacek drew five assists for Red Deer. The line of Spacek, Hagel and Zablocki totalled 15 points. . . . The Rebels got 21 saves from G Lasse Petersen. . . . G Griffen Outhouse stopped 38 shots for the Royals in what was his 21st consecutive game. That ties the Victoria/Chilliwack Bruins franchise record that had belonged to Lucas Gore (2010-11). . . . Red Deer was 2-6 on the PP; Victoria was 0-3. . . . Red Deer F Austin Glover played in his 200th regular-season WHL game. . . . The Rebels (21-20-7) had lost their previous four games (0-3-1). They look to be headed to a third-place finish in the Central Division. . . . The Royals (26-19-4) had won four in a row. This was their third game in as many nights, after wins in Edmonton and Calgary. . . . Victoria is in possession of the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot. It is fourth in the B.C. Division, two points behind the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Announced attendance: 5,557.
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At Kent, Wash., F Mathew Barzal scored two goals and added an assist as the Seattle Thunderbirds
TURNER OTTENBREIT
dumped the Vancouver Giants, 6-1. . . . This was the final Teddy Bear Game of this season and it was D Turner Ottenbreit who scored the goal, giving Seattle a 1-0 lead at 9:30 of the first period. . . . He was the sixth defenceman to score a TBG this season. . . . Ottenbreit has four goals. . . . Barzal made it 2-0, at 14:43. . . . Seattle went up 4-0 on goals from F Alexander True (14), at 8:03 of the second period, and Barzal, who has six goals, at 6:03 of the third. . . . F Calvin Spencer (11) scored for Vancouver at 7:45. . . . The Thunderbirds put it away on third-period goals from F Sami Moilanen (14), at 9:40, and F Luke Ormsby (4), at 11:36. . . . Seattle got three assists from F Ryan Gropp, while F Tyler Adams had two assists. . . . G Rylan Toth stopped 15 shots for Seattle. . . . Vancouver G David Tendeck turned aside 40 shots. . . . Seattle held a 33-9 edge in shots through two periods. . . . Each team was 0-3 on the PP. . . . The Thunderbirds (25-15-4) are comfortably in third in the U.S. Division. . . . The Giants (17-27-3) are 10 points out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 6,146.
——
At Spokane, the Chiefs unleashed a 50-shot barrage en route to a 5-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . .
TYSON HELGESEN
F Eli Zummack gave Spokane a 1-0 lead with his fourth goal, on a PP, at 12:18 of the first period. . . . F Kailer Yamamoto made it 2-0 with his 29th goal at 5:56 of the second period. . . . The Ice got to within a goal when F Noah Philp (6) scored at 1:04 of the third period. . . . D Ty Smith’s third goal, on a PP, at 9:59, restored the two-goal lead. . . . F Ondrej Najman (4) provided some insurance for the Chiefs at 14:09 and D Tyson Helgesen (7) added more, at 16:27. . . . Ice F Kaeden Taphorn’s second goal, at 19:22, closed out the scoring. . . . Spokane got two assists from each of F Rykr Cole and F Jaret Anderson-Dolan, with Helgesen adding one. . . . G Dawson Weatherill earned the victory with 22 saves, while Jakob Walter blocked 45 at the other end. . . . Spokane was 2-4 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-4. . . .  F Peyton Krebs, the first overall selection in the 2016 bantam draft, played in his sixth game this season. Under ordinary circumstances, a 15-year-old is allowed to play five games in the WHL before his club team has its season end. The Ice, however, has been allowed to keep using Krebs due to the team’s injury situation. . . . The Chiefs (19-20-7) are two points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Ice (11-29-8) has lost two in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 9,506.
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At Swift Current, D Connor Hobbs snapped a 5-5 tie at 15:30 of the third period as the Regina Pats beat the Broncos, 6-5. . . . Hobbs won it with his 20th goal of the season. He and David Quenneville of the
CONNOR HOBBS
Medicine Hat Tigers lead all defencemen in goals. Quenneville is out with a broken fibula. . . . F Jake Leschyshyn (17) gave Regina a 1-0 lead at 7:51 of the first period. . . . The Broncos replied with goals 41 seconds apart from F Riley Stotts (6) and F Aleksi Heponiemi (17). . . . Regina followed that with two goals to take a 3-2 lead into the second period. D Josh Mahura got his 10th goal — his first with Regina since being acquired from the Red Deer Rebels — at 15:04 and D Chase Harrison (6) scored on a PP at 19:47. . . . F Glenn Gawdin’s 17th goal pulled the Broncos into a tie, on a PP, at 7:31 of the second period. . . . F Sam Steel’s 34th goal sent Regina into a 4-3 lead, on a PP, at 14:25. . . . Heponiemi’s second goal, on a PP, tied it at 14:25 and Gawdin put the home side out front at 16:49. . . . The Pats tied it when F Dawson Leedahl counted No. 22, on a PP, at 13:59. . . . Regina got three assists from F Adam Brooks, with Hobbs and Steel adding one each. . . . Gawdin, D Max Lajoie, F Tyler Steenbergen and F Lane Pederson each had two assists for Swift Current, with Heponiemi getting one. . . . G Jordan Hollett stopped 23 shots for Regina. He was playing his first game since Nov. 20 and ran his record to 8-0-1. . . . G Jordan Papirny turned aside 29 shots for the Broncos. . . . Regina was 3-4 on the PP; Swift Current was 2-5. . . . Regina (30-6-7) is atop the East Division, four points in front of the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . According to Kevin Shaw (@theblueliner), who knows such things, this is the third time that the Pats have had at least 30 victories in their first 43 games, the others being in 1980-81 (31) and 1983-84 (30). . . . The Broncos (25-15-8) have lost two in a row. They are third in the East Division, five points behind Moose Jaw. . . . Announced attendance: 2,177.
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At Kennewick, Wash., D Kevin Davis scored a pair of goals to help the Everett Silvertips to a 4-2 victory
KEVIN DAVIS
over the Tri-City Americans. . . . This season, Davis has six goals and 35 assists in 44 games. Over the previous two seasons, he totalled six goals and 35 assists in 133 games. . . . F Brandson Hein’s second goal gave Everett a 1-0 lead at 18:33 of the first period. . . . The Americans tied it at 19:48 of the second period when F Kyle Olson got his 12th goal. . . . Davis gave the visitors a 2-1 lead at 11:51 of the third period. . . . F Vladislav Lukin pulled the Americans into a 2-2 tie at 13:23. . . . Davis broke the tie, on a PP, at 15:30 and F Connor Dewar added insurance, with a PP goal into an empty net, at 19:33. He’s got nine goals. . . . F Morgan Geekie had two assists for the Americans. . . . G Mario Petit stopped 22 shots for the Silvertips as he improved to 10-2-3. . . . Tri-City got 19 saves from G Rylan Parenteau. . . . Everett was 2-3 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-2. . . . Tri-City lost F Jordan Topping to a charging major and game misconduct at 19:10 of the third period. . . . The Silvertips (30-6-8) have won two in a row. They lead the U.S. Division by seven points over the Americans. Everett also is second in the overall standings, one point behind the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Americans (29-18-3) had won their previous seven games. . . . Announced attendance: 4,302.
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TEDDY BEAR, TOQUE AND MITTEN TOSS GAMES:

Jan. 21: D Turner Ottenbreit, 9:30 1st period, Vancouver 1 vs. Seattle 6, at Kent, Wash.
Nov. 26: D Micheal Zipp, 19:47 1st period, Lethbridge 4 at Calgary 2.
Dec. 2: D Artyom Minulin, 13:24 1st period, Calgary 1 at Swift Current 5.
Dec. 2: F Jordy Bellerive, 14:00 1st period, Red Deer 3 at Lethbridge 5.
Dec. 3: F Adam Musil, 14:27 1st period, Lethbridge 2 at Red Deer 3 (OT).
Dec. 3: D Ondrej Vala, 10:38 1st period, Vancouver 2 at Kamloops 5.
Dec. 3: F Nick Merkley, 6:54 2nd period, Brandon 1 at Kelowna 3.
Dec. 9: F Austin Glover, 0:32 2nd period, Moose Jaw 7 at Prince Albert 3. 
Dec. 9: F Riley Woods, 11:45 1st period, Swift Current 1 at Regina 8.
Dec. 9: F Keanu Yamamoto, 4:01 1st period, Kootenay 3 at Spokane 4.
Dec. 10: D Josh Thrower, 12:13 1st period, Prince Albert 4 at Moose Jaw 5 (SO).
Dec. 10: F Nick Bowman, 13:38 2nd period, Kamloops 3 at Edmonton 2.
Dec. 10: D Troy Murray, 1:51 2nd, Kelowna 7 at Kootenay 3.
Dec. 10: F Max Gerlach, 5:26 1st period, Calgary 4 at Medicine Hat 7.
Dec. 10: F Skyler McKenzie 2:21 1st, Everett 2 at Portland 5.
Dec. 10: F Josh Curtis, 6:02 2nd period, Seattle 4 at Prince George 6.
Dec. 10: F Tyler Sandhu, 0:36 1st period, Victoria 3 at Tri-City 4.
Dec. 16: F Linden McCorrister, 17:47 1st period, Saskatoon 2 at Brandon 3 (SO).
Dec. 16: F James Malm, 3:34 1st period, Portland 4 vs. Vancouver 6, at Langley, B.C.
Dec. 17: F Braylon Shmyr, 2:13 2nd period, Brandon 3 at Saskatoon 2.
Dec. 17: F Eetu Tuulola, 19:29 2nd period, Portland 2 at Everett 4.
Dec. 17: F Eric Florchuk, 15:57 1st period, Vancouver 5 at Victoria 4 (OT).
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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Prince Albert at Calgary, 4 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
Spokane at Everett, 4:05 p.m.
Brandon at Regina, 4 p.m.
Swift Current at Saskatoon, 2:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 12:22 AM
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Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Pats make big splash before deadline . . . Cougars add another top gun . . . More trades


WHL trades since Dec. 27:
Trades: 31.
Players: 55.
Bantam draft picks: 40.
Conditional bantam draft picks: 10.
(WHL trade deadline is Jan. 10, 3 p.m. MT).
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The Regina Pats jumped into the WHL’s trade deadline pool on Tuesday, making like a cannonballer at a Hawaiian resort. They made a deal with the Red Deer Rebels that involved four players, two first-round
bantam draft picks and two conditional selections.
The Pats acquired D Josh Mahura, 18, F Jeff de Wit, 18, and a conditional third-round pick in 2019 for F Lane Zablocki, who turned 18 on Dec. 27, D Dawson Barteaux, 16, a first-round pick in 2017, a first-round pick in 2018 or 2019, and a conditional third-rounder in 2020.
Mahura and de Wit both played for the Rebels last season when they were the host team for the 2016 Memorial Cup tournament. The Pats, obviously, are a serious contender for the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions this season and are considered by most observers to be the favourite to be named hosts of the 2018 Memorial Cup.
Thus, any deals the Pats make have to be examined under that light. Were the Pats to win the WHL this season and also be the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup, Mahura and de Wit could play in three straight national championship tournaments.
Keep in mind, too, that the Pats own the WHL rights to D Tyson Jost, who is playing for the U of North Dakota Fighting Hawks. Should he end up joining the Pats at some time, and they are hoping he will be in their lineup next season, they will owe a first-round pick to the Everett Silvertips. Should Jost end up in Regina for 2016-17, Red Deer likely would get that 2018 first-rounder, with the 2019 pick going to Everett.
The 6-foot-0, 180-pound Mahura, from St. Albert, Alta., missed all but two games last season with an

injury to his left knee, but that didn’t stop the Anaheim Ducks from selecting him in the third round of the NHL’s 2016 draft. He was injured on the opening weekend of the 2015-16 season and was back in time to play in 17 playoff games and the Memorial Cup.
This season, Mahura had 33 points, including nine goals, in 39 games with the Rebels. In 92 career regular-season games, he has 42 points, 11 of them goals. The Rebels selected him in the second round of the 2013 bantam draft.
De Wit, from Red Deer, had four goals and five assists in 36 games with the Rebels this season, his third in Red Deer. Last season, the 6-foot-3, 190-pounder had 23 points, seven of them goals, in 70 games. In 174 career games, he has 14 goals and 30 assists.
Zablocki, from Wetaskiwin, Alta., had nine goals and 16 assists in 33 games with the Pats this season. Last season, as a freshman, he had 18 goals and 19 assists in 72 games. The 6-foot-0, 185-pounder was a fifth-round pick by the Prince George Cougars in the 2013 bantam draft. Regina acquired Zablocki in a deal that had F Jesse Gabrielle go to Prince George.
Barteaux was a first-round selection by the Pats in the 2015 bantam draft. From Foxwarren, Man., the 6-foot-1, 170-pound Barteaux will turn 17 on Thursday. He has two assists in 18 games with the Pats this season.
Something else that makes this trade interesting is that the Pats are loading up for a run at perhaps two Memorial Cups, while the Rebels are working to rebuild after making a boatload of moves leading into the 2016 tournament.
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The Prince George Cougars added another top-end player to their roster on Tuesday when they acquired Slovakian F Radovan Bondra, 19, from the Vancouver Giants for Dutch F Bartek Bison, 18, F Tyler Ho, 16, and a third-round pick in the 2018 WHL bantam draft.
Later in the day, the Cougars got F Tanner Wishnowski, 19, from the Spokane Chiefs for a conditional eight-round pick in the 2018 bantam draft.
Bondra was a fifth-round pick by the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL’s 2015 draft. In 90 career games, the 6-foot-5, 215-pound Bondra has 34 goals and 27 assists. This season, he had 19 goals and 12 assists in 32 games with the Giants.
Bondra was to join the Cougars in Red Deer prior to a game with the Rebels on Tuesday. They are to play in Medicine Hat on Wednedsay, Lethbridge on Friday and Calgary on Saturday.
The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Bison, who is from Amsterdam, has been sidelined with a concussion since Dec. 3. He had five goals and an assist in 22 games with the Cougars this season, after putting up six goals and nine assists in 56 games last season.
Ho, from North Vancouver, is the key to this deal from the Giants’ perspective. He was a third-round
selection by Prince George in the 2015 bantam draft and has signed a WHL contract. Ho has 14 goals and 21 assists in 26 games with the Valley West Hawks of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League.
Meanwhile, Wishnowski, from Oakbank, Man., hasn’t played since Nov. 19 due to an undisclosed injury.
He was listed by the Kelowna Rockets in 2013. Last season, he had seven goals and six assists in 54 games with the Rockets. He started this season with Kelowna, scoring once and adding an assist in 10 games, before being dealt to Spokane. In 13 games with the Chiefs, he had two goals and six assists before being injured.
The Cougars are on an Alberta road swing and Wishnowski will join them when they get home on Sunday.
In the past month, the Cougars added three prime-time players in Bondra, Russian F Nikita Popugaev and D Brendan Guhle, giving up six players and five bantam draft picks in the deals.
After putting Wishnowski on their roster, the Cougars were left with a 24-man roster that includes 15 players born in 1996 or 1997.
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The Prince Albert Raiders have acquired F Jordy Stallard, 19, and a seventh-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft from the Calgary Hitmen for F Luke Coleman, 18, and a 2018 fourth-round selection.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Stallard, from Brandon, had eight goals and 19 assists in 32 games with the Hitmen this season. In 158 career games, he has 35 goals and 67 assists. The Hitmen selected him in the fourth round of the 2012 bantam draft. The Winnipeg Jets picked him in the fifth round of the NHL’s 2016 draft.
Coleman, from Red Deer, was a fifth-round pick by the Raiders in the 2013 bantam draft. This season, he had seven goals and five assists in 39 games with the Raiders. In 123 career games, he has 21 goals and 21 assists.
Interestingly, the Hitmen are scheduled to visit Prince Albert on Wednesday night.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors have acquired F Branden Klatt, 18, from the Edmonton Oil Kings for a fourth-round pick in the 2018 bantam draft and a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2019.
The Warriors also added F Spencer Bast from the Kamloops Blazers for an eighth-round selection in the 2018 bantam draft.
This season, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Klatt, who is from Moose Jaw, had four goals and five assists in 41 games with Edmonton. In 85 career games, he put up five goals and 12 assists.
The Oil Kings selected Klatt in the sixth round of the 2013 bantam draft.

Bast, from Macklin, Sask., turned 20 on Jan. 5. A list player, the 5-foot-11, 170-pound Bast had six goals and five assists in 40 games with the Blazers this season. Last season, in 47 games, he had four goals and eight assists.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 12:55 PM
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